We can be super choosy. With so many people selling us tools and methods and apps that (they say) we absolutely MUST have for our business or our life, let’s use a solid criterion for selecting. If their proof of results consists of “it worked for me so it will work for you”, then hide your wallet. If the proof is based on independent empirical data and is couched in the solid research of others, then it may be a good choice.Click here to Read More

Takeaways:

• There is real “medicine” out there in the form of psychological principles that have been tested and demonstrated over decades. Take the medicine because it works.

• There are far more people selling banana-jalapeno-cinnamon milkshakes because it worked for their particular case one time so they mistakenly think it will work for other people in other situations. Huge mistake!

• Even ideas that are totally bogus will work sometimes just by coincidence. So when a tool or gizmo or method doesn’t work for you, don’t waste time re-studying the method and thinking about what YOU did wrong. If you were sold on “it works for me it will work for you” then it’s not you – it’s the tool that doesn’t work!

You’ve seen others use it and wonder if you should use it yourself: the technique where you segment or bucket prospects. This practice violates several psychological principles and most are methodologically unsound so that you drive people away, gather misinformation and make some people think poorly of you. Avoid it. Here’s why.Click here to Read More

Takeaways:

• As it is popularly used, this practice suffers from methodological errors and violates principles of psychological measurement with the predictable result of lower response rates and uninterpretable results.

• We like to think we are complex and have many layers to us, so don’t then assume others can be simply described by one and only one category. Use surveys to extract the full depth and complexity of those you want to pull into your orbit.

• As I’ve preached before, treat prospects as you would a first date. Would you ask your date a single question (“Are you adventurous, creative, reserved or intelligent? You can only pick one!”) and then design the evening around that bucket? Not unless you want your date to run away, and that’s what your customers are doing.

We need to stop trying to satisfy our customers, members and clients, and focus on turning them into LIFERS - folks that aren't going to leave us for a lifetime. Here are the 3 billion reasons why.Click here to Read More

Takeaways:

• Of the 3 billion people coming onto the internet in the upcoming years, many of those will be building products and services. Some just like yours! Your competitors have just multiplied exponentially!

• It is no longer enough to just “satisfy” customers in this competitive field. You need LIFERS. You need them focused on you and not looking to the next shiny new object.

• Entrepreneurs must continually and accurately gather customer feedback and act on it in a meaningful and transparent way to Keep their Customers Forever.

Keep Your Readers Forever

Readers are hard enough to get, but have you given any thought about how to keep them? Today’s guest, Dr. Matt Champagne, is a psychologist and a ‘survey expert,’ but don’t let that put you off. It’s the ideas BEHIND what makes a successful survey that can help you get in touch with your readers, resonate with them, and make them fans for life. - Sterling and Stone

The Secret to Better Surveys

Having a ‘satisfied’ customer isn’t enough these days. What you need to do is create ‘lifers,’ and one of the best ways to do that is through surveys. Yes, I said surveys. But just ‘asking’ isn’t enough. Today’s guest, Dr. Matt Champagne has been helping businesses create better surveys for nearly two decades. And he’s convinced that nearly all of us have been doing it wrong.

Show Notes4:00 – Matt talks about what the ‘autopsy approach’ is, and the biggest mistakes businesses make.8:00 – Matt explains his principles of psychology, and shows how social media would fail if we treated it like we treat our surveys.11:00 – According to Matt, surveys are key to earning lifelong customers, and he explains the why and how. He also explains why ‘asking’ is the complete wrong approach.18:00 – Matt explains why he doesn’t use the ‘satisfied customer’ approach, and the surprising way to make your customers happy.22:00 – Matt sums up what makes a great survey, and the short list of what you need to do to create it.

How to Use Surveys So Your Customers Actually Respond To You

Dr. Matt Champagne has created and critiqued more than 6000 surveys for learning organizations. He’s been an adviser to dozens of fortune 100 companies and non-profit organizations. He was named Technology Visionary of 2015 by Survey magazine for his pioneering work merging psychological principles and online educational technologies. He’s been a speaker at over 60+ conferences.

If you’ve ever been frustrated about the results of your surveys, Dr. Champagne’s strategies will help you turn the corner and start using surveys in a much more productive and effective way. Get to know your clients and build stronger relationships with them while creating raving fans.

Show Notes 04:45 - Matt’s takeaways from seeing over 6 thousand surveys11:00 - How to get a high percentage reply14:11 - What you should send in your first email for your survey.18:00 - Why should you do surveys.25:15 - The biggest takeaway from doing surveys and Matt’s survey plan.34:00 - 3 Strategies you can apply to your surveys.40:00 - We turn the corner and ask Matt about him.